Waupaca Foundry, Inc., a Hitachi Metals group company, has earned Q1 Certification from Ford Motor Company. The achievement confirms Waupaca Foundry—Tell City consistently delivers high quality products on time to Ford customers and Q1 certification is a milestone in the pursuit of quality. Foundry leaders accepted the recognition during formal flag-raising ceremonies held on November 2 at its iron casting foundry in Tell City, Indiana.

Waupaca Foundry supplies both gray iron and ductile iron castings to Ford Motor Company used in braking, suspension, driveline and powertrains​. The Foundry has been a Ford supplier for 20 years. Waupaca Foundry employs 900 team members at its Tell City, Indiana plant and 4,400 nationwide.

“Ford is a long-standing, valued customer,” said John Wiesbrock, Waupaca Foundry executive vice president of sales, marketing and supply chain management. “Our team is committed to continually earning Ford’s business by delivering best-in-class performance.”

Waupaca Foundry uses a production management system called “Waupaca Way” which engages all employees in continual improvement of casting quality, production efficiency, customer service and on-time delivery.

“Each of our team members helped us earn this important recognition,” said Kenley Hansen, Waupaca Foundry plant manager. “To us, the ‘Waupaca Way’ is supporting one another on the manufacturing floor to make us the safest and most efficient plant we can be. The expected outcomes are improved performance and customer satisfaction.”

Suppliers who achieve Ford Q1 Certification pass a rigorous process review. Each manufacturing site is individually assessed and must meet performance targets established by Ford. In addition to achieving certifications such as ISO 9001, ISO/TS 16949 and ISO 14001, suppliers must also meet ongoing performance targets and maintain a robust continuous improvement program.